Review: Tom Cruise is the sole reason to see thrilling new 'Mission: Impossible'

In an interview with Variety last month, director Steven Soderbergh suggested that the increased presence of technology has made it more difficult to create tension in movies.

"Cellphones are the worst thing that's ever happened to movies. ... It's so hard to manufacture drama when everybody can get a hold of everybody all the time," Soderbergh said.

However, Christopher McQuarrie, director of the most recent "Mission: Impossible" film faces this problem head-on. McQuarrie takes the increased use of technology and makes it the villain in "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," which releases Wednesday, June 12.

The seventh "Mission: Impossible" film pits Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt against an artificial intelligence machine known as The Entity. The machine's wide-reaching presence makes it difficult for Hunt and his team to use their usual advanced forms of technology as they race to defeat The Entity before any country can take control of it.

'Dead Reckoning' highlights Cruise's star power

Returning to Hunt's team are Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Hunt also teams up with newcomer Hayley Atwell, who is known only by the name Grace in the film.

Amid this cast, Cruise is the tentpole that holds up this film. Although the mission is still exciting, Cruise is the sole factor that should drive you to see "Dead Reckoning."

Cruise has become famous for doing his own stunts, and he does not let up in this film, which has some spectacular sequences. The entire last segment of the movie, set on a train, had my jaw dropping lower and lower with each scene.

And Cruise shines particularly well with McQuarrie, who directed Cruise in the previous two "Mission: Impossible" movies and worked on the screenplay for 2022's $1.5 billion hit "Top Gun: Maverick." The pair has been collaborating since McQuarrie wrote "Valkyrie" in 2008, and it's a duo I hope will never end.

Cruise is the man Steven Spielberg said saved Hollywood, and it's obvious why in "Dead Reckoning." Cruise, personal life aside, was born to be a star.

AI scare runs strong in Cruise's new mission

"Dead Reckoning" feels extremely timely, releasing at a time when AI services like ChatGPT and image generators are making people wary of the future of technology. The film takes this fear and capitalizes on it by making The Entity the central antagonist.

McQuarrie, who also wrote the film, runs wild with his ideas about AI, trying to ensure no one in the audience will be on board with the concept by the end of the film. Throughout the film, The Entity – who has a striking resemblance to Hal 9000 from "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) – plays tricks on the team, causing them to question what's real.

This isn't the first time Cruise has had to go up against AI either. In 2021, one person impersonated Cruise with deepfake videos. And this year, another posted an AI-generated picture of Cruise with two lookalike "stunt doubles."

"Dead Reckoning" is a treat for anyone who's seen the previous "Mission: Impossible" films. Many of the series' iconic parts return here, from the intricate and realistic tearaway masks to the frequent use of slanted Dutch angle shots.

And if the "Part One" in the film's title is making you hesitate to watch this film in fear of an unfulfilling cliffhanger, don't worry. The film has a solid conclusion that won't leave you feeling robbed.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Review: 'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning' is Tom Cruise vs. AI